Colin McRae Rally 04

"McRae back on form: A solid return to the basics that made the series."

Getting to the nitty gritty first for the sake of incapability to hold back opinion on one of the driving games of the past few years, Colin McRae Rally 04 can be seen as another relative high point in the company of the topsy-turvy series of titles to have come about from Codemasters. Although staying true to many of the original McRae values -- the basic enjoyment of the accessible physics model and the thoroughness of Codies' dictionary of ideas and games modes, it is essentially a step forward, if not an altogether large one, from recently-released version three.

Trivial things first, this is not the PR man's idea of a rally simulation. Upon tearing the clingfilm and wedging in the disc, you'll see no 'revolutionary never-before experimented-on Career' mode. No sight of all the latest licensing and driver names, as has been usual since 2.0, it's much more conventional rally-game fare on the menus and gone is the needless requirement to ''be'' Colin McRae -- a ploy that fooled nobody, CMR3's Championship mode effectively being nothing more than a lightly disguised, 100% unlicensed and totally restrictive version of any other games' respective main game modes and with little to no unique interaction with the celebrity Scot at all.

Identifying the obvious faults was one thing, fixing them to the aspect of making 04 a genuine sequel to the veteran 2.0 is another. But they've only gone and really pulled it off.

Contrary to some suggestions, the trademark ice-rink-esque slidey handling physics that gave the game such a great image among those who seriously take enjoyment from their PlayStations has not been tampered with beyond it's character. They've sophisticated it though, all four wheels now interact with the ground, despite the lack of any obvious difference in practice. It's certainly more in line with the versatility of an arcade-come-sim approach to the feel of GT3's weighty alternatives. It's still a kind of game where the car will point where you ask it, but make too much demand on it, and it'll take a bite out of you. Not unlike past CMRs in any remote sense is the confidence to hand that encourages you to push a seemingly controllable WRCar well up to, and beyond it's limits. And somehow, unlike it's long-time rivals, you're not left feeling the game is ever at fault for your own errors.

And the consequences of such embarrassingly unexpected sideways action into a Swedish snowbank is up to you. There are 2WD and 4WD championships initially available, each have Normal/Advanced settings of difficulty and separate damage levels can also be specified on the former. Predictably enough, the 2WD series features the calibre of modified road-going load-lugger as the Ford Puma, VW Golf and Fiat Punto, although in all honesty you may not be maintaining an interest in the 2WDs for long -- they're distinctly twitchy and unengaging drives and the AI will lie down in response.

Stages are essentially from the same countries as previous CMRs with the likes of the USA, Sweden, Great Britain and Japan represented. That said, the specials themselves are all-new although a few of the well-remembered classics from CMRs of yesteryear have been recreated in lush next-gen form on occasion. Appearance-wise, the game is well up-to-scratch with the best the console has to offer; note the fully animated standing spectators at the stage start, the detail of the counter from 5 to 0 before your car tears off the line to the result of the scenery and dust flashing behind you in the rear-view mirror, and sharp representations of real competition vehicles, right down to wheel designs, as high points.

The only way to really appreciate the sometimes devilish, but always enticing stage design is to adopt the extra raw power of the 4WD WRCars which give you much more of a beating when you're in the middle of a tense scrap for the rally lead. Here, fortunes can be contrasting, as can the appearance of your times. On Advanced in particular, you could stun yourself by strolling to a 10+ second lead on one stage, and with another similar clean run on the second, drop 15 seconds to the leaders. Establishing a form of real authority over your rivals is rarely entirely possible without intricate study of the various set-up options, tyre choice in particular is a big gamble on the stages that're largely of mixed-surfaces like the USA. Even the Swedes can catch you out as a decent gravel and ice tyre is no good if the next run is held in deep snow. It's never easy to judge on basic instinct your performance in advance.

Speaking of increases in competitiveness that actually count for something, a nice new idea of Codemasters' boffins is the inclusion of parts tests to aid performance over the course of a season. They of course ensure you can never stay still, and the way they work is quite a lot of fun -- slide endlessly across the Swedish snow to gain access to a useful new snow tyre, halt the motor in the right areas on a patchy road to nab Ceramic brakes, knacker up the Xsara's suspension on horribly large Finnish jumps (lined by rows of strategically-placed Finnish trees, mind you) and a new set of dampers will be yours. Unfortunately, although nice in theory, these opportunities that occur inbetween rallies are hard to grasp. You only get two attempts upon seeing a test for the first time, and they aren't at all easy even to the hardened professionals if you throw in the strict time limits -- there's just no chance to practice and although you can come back after another event to try again, by then the new parts are largely irrelevant -- snow tyres on the heat of abrasive Spanish asphalt, anybody?

Although not generously adorned by hordes of game modes which would make CMR04 a simulation-come-party game in the mould of CMR2.0, you'll probably not be found asking for them. The lads in the development team have clearly occupied their thoughts with the task in hand in making up a good, simple and accessible sim (the stages mode is newly adjusted with greater personal customisation and custom rallies added to the fusion), which caters for the entertainment and work of a tad more dedicated a follower of the world's second favourite motorsport. If you aren't converted by the thought of driving alone in the woods with only another constantly-speaking fellow in the passenger seat, buy this. If you're praying for a stopgap between the flawed CMR3 and WRC2 pairing and whatever hugely spectacular titles follow it up, buy it now.

And if you're new to the entire concept? Well, you're looking at a fresh, updated, pooled-together result of all of five years in a period of periodically revolutionising additions to the genre, whilst the McRae endorsement and the assurance of Codies' consistent best makes positive that any commitment to the game is a good one. There will never be a safer time to dip into the world-reowned Colin McRae Rally franchise.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/20/03